The Clue of the New Shoe by Arthur Upfield is set in the vicinity of the Split Point Lighthouse about 80 km from Melbourne. The murder victim is actually found in a form of cupboard which has been added to the interior of the lighthouse.I am glad to be able to report Sharon, Jonathan and I visited the lighthouse in Australia 5 years ago.
The overall area of the lighthouse is far more settled now than it was over 60 years ago when the book was written. The immediate vicinity and the lighthouse look unchanged from the descriptions in the book.
Bony vividly describes the cliffs at the Point. They are real and I had no desire to even approach the edge as Bony does in the book.
It is ironic that not having read mysteries involving lighthouses for years I read this year Bony's mystery and two earlier mysteries in the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates (Vicki Delany) which is set in another real lighthouse, the Bodie Island Lighthouse on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The photo of the lighthouse above is a little darker than usual as it was a cloudy and windy day at the Point.
Jonathan I went up the spiral case to the platform at the top of the lighthouse. After 132 steps I was glad there was a fine view of the ocean.
Near the lighthouse is a walkway to a lookout.
I am at the end of the walkway which goes down to the end of the point that is in the photo below.
In The Clue of the New Shoe Bony was at Split Point in Australian winter. He was the only guest at the hotel.
Upfield in his house at Airey's Point, which is the area of the lighthouse, in 1952 had to leave his car in town for a period of time because it was too muddy to get to his house.
In the final photo Sharon and I are standing at the end of the walkway with Eagle Rock behind us. It was cool and blustery and beautiful. A Canadian cannot admit it was cold when it was above freezing. Still there were but a handful of tourists at the Lighthouse.
Driving the Great Ocean Road in June is a great way to avoid crowds.
What great 'photos, Bill! Thanks for sharing. I always think it's especially meaningful to see a place that also features in a book one reads. It makes both the place and the story seem all the more real, and I'm glad you had that opportunity. Thanks for sharing the information about the lighthouse, too.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the kind words. It does make a book special when you can see in person where it was set. I think you would find it interesting to visit the lighthouse if you are in that part of Australia.
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